


boundaries of myself

by MayWilder



Series: the gift of you [4]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Family, Family Feels, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Fluff, Gen, Pepper and Tony are Peter's adopted parents, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Peter Parker, dad tony, mom pepper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 10:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayWilder/pseuds/MayWilder
Summary: He makes it almost the entire way through the day. Flash is annoying and everyone wants to ask about Tony and Pepper, but Peter has Ned and MJ. MJ silences people with glares and Ned is surprisingly willing to fight anyone who pushes too far, so Peter feels pretty safe.But Flash always finds the right buttons to push.---Or, Pepper goes out of town for the first time since the funeral. Peter just wants his mom.





	boundaries of myself

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place a week or two after "limits of my heart." It's just...fluff. Self-indulgent fluff.

Peter has to go back to school next week if he wants to stay at Midtown.

“What does that mean for you?” Michelle asks softly. She’s laying on the roof of the compound in between him and Ned while they watch the fireworks on New Year’s. “Are you going to come back to Midtown or are you going to homeschool? Stay here superhero-ing and all that shit?”

“Has there ever been a homeschooled superhero?” Ned asks with complete sincerity.

“I don’t think so,” Peter answers with a frown. “And I don’t know what I want to do. Pepper and Tony live here. This is where the Avengers live, where they work and train. But, they’re also all adults and this is their job. I’m a kid.”

“Do you want to stay in school at all?” Ned prompts. “Or are you just going to be Spider-Man forever?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” Peter sighs. “I haven’t left the compound since May’s funeral. It feels weird to think of going back into the real world.”

Ned props up on his elbow to look over at Peter. “Well, whatever you do, we support you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” he says gratefully. “Totally.”

**)-(**

“We can’t make the decision for you, Pete,” Tony says, tossing a t-shirt to Pepper. The three of them are separating and folding laundry, something Pepper decides is Family Bonding Time with a weird intensity despite how much she hates laundry. “We want you to be happy.”

“And educated,” Pepper offers. “Until high school is over. After that, you decide what you want to do with your life.”

Tony grimaces a little, but nods. Peter knows he’s got an MIT celebration box in his closet in case Peter decides to go to school there.

“I just don’t know if I can go back to Midtown,” Peter groans. He drops dramatically into his growing pile of clothes. “Am I supposed to pretend everyone there won’t treat me differently after the press conference? Or that they won’t ask about May? It’s not that big of a school, everybody knows I’m twice orphaned.”

Peter doesn’t have to look up to know that upsets Pepper. Her heart rate slows as if her body has to all of a sudden work harder to pump blood, like its too much effort. Sometimes, he forgets how close Pepper was to May. He inwardly cringes at himself, but remains with his face in the clothes and ignoring the looks of his parents.

“Midtown can offer regularity and comfort,” Pepper points out tensely. “Regularity, or stability, is really important.”

“And homeschooling offers hanging out with me all the time,” Tony adds. Peter finally looks up to see him haphazardly folding a pair of pants. “Obviously I’m better company.”

Pepper hits him with the pants and motions for him to redo them. “And lose both of you to the lab? Yeah, right. Sam would head up Peter’s homeschooling.”

“He can’t be counselor _and_ tutor.”

“He’d be more structured than you.”

“You wound me, wife.”

Pepper rolls her eyes, despite the fond smile on her face.

Peter loves them endlessly.

“Whatever,” Tony huffs. “Let’s just…pause laundry and put on a movie.”

“Yes!” Pepper throws a pair of socks in the air. “I’ll go make popcorn. You two get this all in that corner over there.”

“This conversation helped so little.” Peter deadpans at Tony. “You guys are, frankly, terrible parents.”

Tony raises an eyebrow back. “You’re grounded.”

“What?!”

“Ha! See. I’m a great fucking parent.”

**)-(**

In the end, Peter decides to go back to Midtown.

Tony and Pepper decide that the commute is too long, so they find a few homes to look at in Manhattan. Touring them like any average superhero family is kind of fun, especially because the people selling are desperate for Tony to be their buyer. There is one memorable occasion of a man literally falling at Pepper’s feet and crowing about what an honor it is to be considered.

People, Peter decides, are utterly ridiculous.

Eventually, they settle on a large penthouse in the Upper East side. Peter’s room has a stunning view of New York, as well as his own lounging area and huge bathroom. Tony finds a space where he can build a lab and Pepper’s new home office barely needs renovating. There’s exposed brick and a fancy kitchen and its so different from the apartment in Queens and the Compound. Peter thinks that’s appropriate; a completely new place for a completely new situation.

The morning that school starts back, he finds that Pepper has woken up early. She’s got her hair and make-up done but wears pajamas as she finishes frying up bacon. When she sees Peter, she smiles tentatively. “Hey, sweetheart. How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well,” he says honestly. “The nightmares are practically gone. Only one last night.”

“So, your sessions with Sam are going well?” she asks tentatively. He nods, and the relief is clear on her face. She’d put her foot down a couple weeks back and demanded Peter talk to someone he trusted. Sam, being a war veteran that studied psychology, seemed like the best option. Sunday afternoons were spent talking through nightmares and intrusive thoughts, focusing on how to scare away the demons that Pepper and Tony couldn’t banish.

Now, Pepper kisses his forehead and places a large breakfast in front of him. “I put a bag of that plain chex-mix you like in your backpack so you can snack on it throughout the day, and I’ve emailed all your teachers to allow it. They think you have low blood sugar and need snacks to keep your energy up and mind focused. Please remember your schedule and our deal.”

Right. The deal.

“If I go two weeks with keeping up healthy eating and sleeping habits, I can go back to being Spider-Man.”

Pepper looks pleased as he digs in to his food. She does the thing where she drifts into the background and leaves Peter to himself. He appreciates that she doesn’t hover and that she’s okay with companionable silence. It’s a quiet ten minutes before Tony fumbles in and pulls them back into conversation.

Peter likes mornings with his parents. Tony is more affectionate when he’s just woken up, so he grabs the back of Peter’s neck in his new-found fatherly manner before going to kiss Pepper. The two always have a silent interaction, an understanding where Tony skims his nose along Pepper’s cheek and she kisses his chin before handing him coffee. It’s domestic and comfortable, a time for Tony to clearly show how safe and un-guarded he feels.

“Ready for school, kid?” Tony asks in a raspy voice. Without waiting for an answer, he moves on. “I’ve been working on something for your panic attacks. They’re triggered by oversensitivity most of the time, right? Well I think I can make some glasses that help with light input, and I’ve already got a set of microscopic earbuds that should be able to help with auditory input. They’re in your backpack if you want them. I can’t do anything about touch, but I might be able to work on something for smell…”

Peter feels himself smile at how much Tony has been thinking about it. “That’s awesome. Thanks, Da—Tony.”

Peter stumbles over what to call his new parents. He hasn’t called them “Mom” and “Dad” since they gave him the adoption papers, but he still wants to. He isn’t sure how often he’s supposed to do it, however, and has had a couple slip ups.

“Honey, we want you to think of us as your parents,” Pepper reminds him as she dumps two more pieces of bacon on his now empty plate. “If you’re holding back for us, don’t. It’s alright.”

He nods again. “Who’s driving me to school?”

“I will, most mornings,” Tony says. “But this morning, Pepper is taking you.”

“Because of France?”

“Yes.” Pepper looks pained. “I put it off for as long as I could.”

She pauses.

“We could still decide to homeschool, you know. Then I could take you on all of my business trips.”

“I’ll be fine,” Peter assures her. Sure, he doesn’t know how he will handle her presence not being there for a week, but he doesn’t want her to think she has to put her life on hold. Pepper Potts is responsible for a lot of people and she’s badass at her job. Staying home for her recently acquired sixteen-year-old teenager shouldn’t cause any setbacks.

So, he grabs his backpack and climbs into the passenger seat of Pepper’s Audi. She puts on the classic rock station in the background and turns to him. Somehow, because of this weird wavelength they share, Peter knows what she wants. He digs into his backpack to find the little headphones Tony mentioned. They’re small and settle right inside his ear like mini headphones or hearing aids. With the app Tony created to go with them, Peter turns them on. Everything becomes a little duller, the way it hasn’t in since before the bite. He can still hear the thrum of the base from deep within the car, or the purr of the mostly silent engine, but the trees rustling across the field don’t register. He isn’t…surrounded.

“Tony says they can help until you learn to control your senses, but that could be awhile.” Pepper runs a hand through his hair. “You haven’t had them for very long in an environment where people can help you, and well…I wouldn’t mind if you took it easy for the next couple weeks. Just adjusted.”

“This week, I’ll take it easy. Promise.”

She nods and turns up the radio. They spend the drive to school in silence.

When they pull up to the building, Pepper kisses his forehead and unnecessarily smooths down his gelled-back hair. “I’ll miss you, Peter. I haven’t spent a day away from you since…”

“I’ll miss you too.” It’s an honest confession from Peter. “Will you text me when you land?”

“And I will call when it’s 9:30 here to say goodnight.”

The time difference is ridiculous, but Peter doesn’t say that because he wants to get her call. Instead, he just nods. “I…I love you, Pep.”

Pepper gives him a watery smile. “I love you too, honey, so much. Text me if you need anything, please. Have a good day at school.”

He ducks out of the car and watches it pull away. For a moment, its too much. Too many people looking at him, too many people who know everything about what happened over the holidays because of that fucking press conference where Pepper and Tony explained the adoption. Everybody knows about him and everybody wants to approach him. He can’t, he _can’t_ —

But then he catches a whiff of coconut, followed by spearmint toothpaste. He looks up, finding MJ waiting on a bench, watching him with her usual observant eyes masked by boredom. Ned stands behind her, chewing his usual gum and waving excitedly. His friends are there waiting, and Pepper said he could text her if he needed to. Tony is going to be picking him up from school. It’ll be fine, right?”

He pulls out his phone.

_Peter: Do you think Dad will let me drive the lambo while you’re gone?_

It only takes a second for her to reply.

_Mom: Absolutely the fuck not, sweetheart._

He chuckles and walks up the front steps. It’s going to be okay.

**)-(**

Update: It is not okay.

He makes it almost the entire way through the day. Flash is annoying and everyone wants to ask about Tony and Pepper, but Peter has Ned and MJ. MJ silences people with glares and Ned is surprisingly willing to fight anyone who pushes too far, so Peter feels pretty safe.

But Flash always finds the right buttons to push.

“Pepper Potts, huh? Lucky you, Penis Parker. I’d give anything to call that woman _Mommy_.”

Peter stops dead in his tracks as anger flares through him. He turns, slowly, deadly, finding Flash’s arrogant smirk. “What the fuck did you just say about my mom?”

Flash seems to realize his mistake, but cocks his head to the side and pushes forward. “What are _you_ gonna do about it, Parker?”

“Peter,” Ned hisses. “Don’t—

Peter clenches his fists, even as MJ tugs on his backpack and mutters that Flash isn’t worth it.

Flash shoves him then. “Being a Stark gives you balls, Parker? Makes you think you can stand up for yourself all of a sudden?” Another shove.

Peter isn’t sure how much longer he can last when,

“Or is it because I said something about Stark’s bitch?”

Peter throws one punch, and Flash hits the ground.

**)-(**

“I have the best fucking technology in this country,” Tony snaps. “Don’t you give me some shit about what really happened, the security cameras I donated to this goddamned school tell the real story. Your son pushed mine, verbally and physically, until he put him down with one punch. Plenty of eye witnesses—

“This isn’t a crime scene, Mr. Stark!”

“Well, my son is having unjust punishment being threatened!” Tony points his finger at Flash, who holds a wet rag to a bloody nose and is sporting bruising under his eyes. “I would like to know what’s being done about the little prick who has been bullying Peter for years.”

This makes Professor Morita narrow his eyes. “Flash. I thought we put a stop to this last semester?”

Flash looks down, silent.

“We don’t tolerate bullying, or lewd comments made about another student’s mother.” Principal Morita frowns. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Peter looks over to see Flash actually looking ashamed under the heat of his mother’s gaze. “I got carried away. Peter shouldn’t be punished for defending his mom.”

That seems to settle the discussion. Peter is sent home for the rest of the day and Flash is suspended for three days. Tony is oddly silent as they walk to the car. Peter racks his brain for what to say, but is entirely too nervous to push.

“You are calling Pepper,” Tony says stiffly when they buckle in. “When we get home. You can tell her what happened.”

“Are you…mad?” Peter asks.

Tony sighs. “No, Pete, I’m not. Violence is not how we handle things outside of Avengers business. Especially since the Accords. I know that we use our fists to fight crime and alien invaders, but we use our words to fight humans who can’t defend themselves.”

“Flash can defend himself—

“You’re seriously telling me that that kid could have hit you? With all of your superabilities?”

He purses his lips. “No.”

“You have to be better, Pete. It sucks, its not fair, its hard work, but that’s it. You have to be better than the bad guys.” Tony turns the car on and buckles in. As he drives, he continues. “Although…you do not stand for men who talk about women like that. It’s unacceptable. Pepper has worked her butt off to get where she is and is absolutely not my bitch. Really, aren’t I hers? She’s the boss. She’s feminine. She’s strong. She’s gentle.”

Any other time, Peter would be amused at how easily Tony gets distracted by complimenting his wife.

“Anyways. If she isn’t there to defend herself, there is nothing wrong with doing so. You’re smart, though. Find the words to pummel him into the ground. Just don’t use your fists. Capiche?”

“Capiche.”

“Now…let’s stop for ice cream.”

The conversation with Pepper is less easy. She lets him talk, and then scolds him thoroughly with much of the same talk that Tony gave him. When Peter offers her his most pathetic “I’m sorry,” she relents a moment. There’s a sigh from the other end of the line before, “Do I need to come home?”

“No!” Peter says hurriedly. “Please, no, I’m sorry. I know I should have…”

He glances at Tony, who raises an expectant eyebrow.

“…I should have used my words instead of violence. I was on edge, but its no excuse. Please stay on your business trip, this didn’t happen just because you were gone.”

“Alright,” Pepper sighs. “You won’t get punished this time, but there are no more extra chances with stuff like this. We’re better than that, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Alright. I love you. Please give the phone to Tony.”

**)-(**

The next day, Peter wakes up to nobody in the kitchen. It feels weird that Pepper isn’t there, and he resists the urge to call her. She isn’t just a mom, though. She’s a business woman who is probably in meetings across the globe right now. So, he starts a pot of coffee and waits as it draws Tony from his room. Iron man grumbles a little, but bosses at Peter until he eats a full plate of food before sending him off for a shower.

It’s not too different than his usual mornings have gone. When Peter gets ready to leave, Tony shoves snacks into his bag with a warning glare. “You will eat them.”

Peter gives a lazy salute, and Tony rolls his eyes. They both instinctively turn towards the doorway to the kitchen where Pepper has taken to standing the past few mornings. She always waits before she leaves for work, expecting a kiss from Tony and a hug from Peter.

It’s just different enough to feel she isn’t here, Peter thinks uncomfortably. He looks down at his phone, _doesn’t call_ , and walks out the door.

**)-(**

That night, Peter takes his favorite pillow into the living room. Tony is sitting up and watching old Texas Ranger reruns, so the teenager throws the pillow down and lays against his father figure.

“Couldn’t sleep without her here?”

“Nope,” Tony says. “You?”

“Nope.” Peter snuggles further into the couch. “Are we pathetic?”

“Yep.”

Peter sighs. “Thought so. Can we watch something else?”

“Like what?”

“Literally anything.”

Tony turns the volume up louder, and Peter grins.

**)-(**

Friday, Peter walks lazily out of the school, Ned and MJ by his side. The ‘popularity’ hasn’t calmed down yet, and Peter is still blushing as they leave Decathlon practice, uncomfortable from all the attention. He isn’t sure he’ll ever get used to it, but he doesn’t know how to field it away from himself.  

“Are you guys still coming over for a Jurassic Park marathon?” Peter asks as they trot down the stairs.

“Are you still providing the snacks?” Ned retorts in answer. “That popcorn machine is my favorite thing about your new house.”

Peter grins. “Yeah, I’ve got snacks. Tony said he’ll take us to the store and we can buy whatever we want.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen if Tony has someone monitoring him and us,” MJ adds dryly. Peter frowns and follows her line of sight.

Leaning against the side of the car with Tony, is Pepper. She’s wearing jeans and a sweater, hair loose and smile wide as she gives Peter a wave from where she’s tucked into Tony’s side.

Peter feels his smile before he registers his jolt of joy. “She’s back.”

He makes his way to the car quickly, wrapping Pepper in a hug. Her lips press against his forehead and she sighs happily. “Hey, kid.”

“Hey, Mom,” he whispers. She smells like roses, as always, and he feels secure. “You’re early.”

“I finished early,” she says lightly. When they pull apart, her hand smooths hair from his forehead. “How was school?”

“Good. We’re starting _Much Ado About Nothing_ in Shakespeare.”

Pepper’s eyes glint. “I think we’ll have to go to the compound on weekends and make everyone act it out, yeah?”

Peter grins and Michelle raises a fist. “Right on, Miss. Potts. I think Cap and his boyfriend should play Claudio and Hero.”

“For that, Peter’s Scary Friend, you get all the ice cream in the world,” Tony says matter-of-factly. “In the car, Rugrats, lets go.”

Later (after Ned, Peter, and MJ have loaded up on so much crap they might die of a heart attack) Pepper stands next to Peter and helps him line pizza rolls onto pans. Peter tries not to be too obvious in the way that he takes in her presence, knowing she’s close to him and loving him. He’s missed her, in that weird way where he knows its irrational but can’t help. Being without her felt off after what they’d been through the past few months.

“I don’t like leaving you,” Pepper says softly, randomly. “I hated it, actually. Almost turned the car around on the way to the airport a few times.”

“Yeah?” Peter gives her a half smile and arranges a few more pizza rolls. “I can’t lie, I wouldn’t have been mad about it. I’m glad you went, though. I probably shouldn’t have as many attachment issues as I do.”

Peter thinks about his parents, about Ben, about May. He thinks about the danger Tony is always willingly throwing himself in. Pepper and all the planes she rides. It hurts, to think that he’s on his third set of parents and that he loves them too much.

He shifts on his feet, not making eye contact, before speaking. “It’s like if I don’t have eyes on you guys, I’m scared. Its so stupid.”

“Its not stupid,” Pepper says. She puts the pans in the oven and turns his head so that he has to look at her. “Its understandable, honey. And I know you might have that fear for a while. That’s okay. Healing happens a lot of different ways, over time.”

“Yeah.” He nods quickly, blinking in hopes that there are no tears. “When do you leave again?”

“I have a day trip to Miami next weekend, so I’ll leave early and be back for a late dinner. That’s it. Next week, I’m all in the office. After that, I was thinking you and Tony could come to Hong Kong with me for the weekend in February.”

“That would be cool!” Peter can’t hide the enthusiasm. Pepper chuckles, making him color a little, but he’s still eager. “Yeah, that would be cool. Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course,” she says. They hug, her hands running through his hair like always. “I love you, Peter. Please always remember that.”

He thinks of his mother’s lips against his forehead, of May’s smile and Uncle Ben’s warmth, and knows that this feeling with Pepper is a lasting one. No matter what, he’ll always know they had these moments.

“Yeah,” he sighs, snuggling closer into the hug. “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm maywildflowers on tumblr. hit me up for a trash can of my faves


End file.
